Tuesday, December 3, 2013

my favorite things about the mister:
-asks to "sit?" whenever he sees a chair or counter top
-asks to wash "hand?" when i wash mine
-says "BYU" whenever he sees the Y (or a lot of other letters...) and then follows it with "go cougars!" which sounds like "go dada"
-knows most of his aunts and uncles names-at least the ones who live here
-says "sup" when he sees derek, bryce, or amber
-LOVES trains. loves loves loves them. every time i turn the TV on he asks "choo choo?"
-plays with cars lots. says "vroom"
-started some pretend play where he pretends to be asleep and snores
-absolutely loves nursery
-has a few friends he loves and says their names well (ryker, natalie, elsie, hudson)
-still has me as his favorite person
-runs everywhere. no walking for this guy
-says "windy" and "raining" and "snow"
-has started saying "i got it" and "it's stuck"
-sings a little
-would eat all day long if i let him. he loves fruit (i've cut him off after 4 cuties before), mashed potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower.
-still loves being worn in the tula.
-loves buttons and zippers and points them out
-is finally really liking books
-loves baby will. my sister and him are in california for 5 weeks and james keeps asking for "haley" and "will"
-wants to knock on every door he sees
-pats his bum and says "bum bum" when he needs a diaper change
-he's very easy going and loves people. he says "hi" and waves to everyone
-walks backwards and spins around to make you laugh
-loves the lights around our window and christmas tree
-loves dogs. "PUPPY" he shouts when he sees one
-every ball is a "football", though he's started saying "soccer" (a lot of spitting is involved)
-loves helping and imitating me. he pretends to put on makeup, wears my necklaces, and will try to take his temperature since he sees me do that daily.
-loves making people laugh. he is a sweet boy.

Monday, September 23, 2013

since the meat challenge, i've done some thinking about choosing and eating meat. it makes sense to me that animals fed a diet they naturally eat (ie grass fed beef instead of corn fed beef) are going to be better for us. however (and this is a BIG however) it is quite pricey. like $15-20+/lb! that is definitely out of our normal budget. so, we've stopped buying meat and (best part) have incorporated some new and delicious vegetarian recipes into our rotation. big thanks to my friend charity who is a vegetarian and has helped a ton!

if you think "what the heck do you eat without meat??" like i did, here are a few recipes that we love.

veggie pizza (link to dough recipe, then we top with sauce, cheese, and whatever veggies we got from the farmer's market)

we rotate those ^ with our staples of alfredo, quesadillas, breakfast for dinner, and soups. i bought calendar scrapbook paper from hobby lobby awhile back and meal plan for 2-3 weeks at a time.

none of these really require more effort than meat containing meals we used to make, which is great because with an 18 month old, minimal time in the kitchen is necessary. and they are all AMAZING. i think our favorite is the black bean enchilada recipe. followed quickly by the mac and cheese. and a big bonus, leaving meat out has freed our budget up quite a bit! i spied some reasonably priced grass fed organic beef at sprout's last week and i think i'll buy some to add into our stir fry next month. i've heard once you try grass fed beef you never want to go back!

Sunday, September 1, 2013

It's hard to grasp that it's been 6 months since my mister turned 1 and we dressed him up in a sombrero and mustache. He's still a silly boy with bright blue eyes and super white hair, but he talks non stop and is climbing all over now.

He

-has around 40 words, including his new favorites "yucky" and "trash"

-loves to have pandora on the TV. He hands me the controller in the morning, looks at the TV, and starts dancing.

-is super independent. He wants to open my and his car door, navigate to pandora with the TV controller, put the laundry in the washer, close the door himself, etc. It is so fun and also helps my patience.

-slept all the way through the night once. It was awesome and hasn't happened since.

-is wishy-washy with books. Sometimes he loves to sit and look at a bunch and point to the things I name, and sometimes he gets through a page or two and is DONE.

-knows a ton of body parts and just learned elbow and knee last week. And he loves finding other people's noses.

-is really starting to love songs with actions.

-loves his aunt Haley and identifies her in (even upside down!) pictures.

-sits up and moves around and then lays his head on my or Danny's torso when he is in bed with us. Usually that's when the bed sharing ends.

-still fits into most 12 month shirts and pants and has started into his 18 month stuff.

-really is loving being in a carrier these days. Makes it real handy when I don't want to lug a stroller around.

-is obsessed with the water. Fearless in the wave pool and almost never wants to be held at seven peaks.

-loves the playground and fire hydrants.

-used to love the vacuum but is terrified of it now!

-loves eating dirt. Classic boy.

-also is an easy eater. Eats almost everything.

-throws EVERYTHING. This stage is not so fun.

-is obsessed with Danny's longboard and wants me to push him around it all day.

-loves other kids sooo much. He really is so social.

-has been nursing to sleep more lately and it makes me miss the days of tiny, sleepy James. *almost* enough to make me baby hungry but not quite.

He has been so much fun to have around. I do miss the days of not having a destroyed house by the end of the day, but the open mouthed kisses while he says "love you" are worth it. So so worth it.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Danny's grandma had her 90th birthday party last weekend! We headed down to Farmington to celebrate with Danny's family.

Four of Danny's six siblings came so it was *almost* a family reunion for them. Christmas will be the real one though!

The desert was so pretty. It was cloudy and almost cool while we were there which was such a nice break from his horrible Utah summer.

We had a hamburger lunch at the park and played badminton, went swimming at the hotel, and visited grandma Boyd's adorable home. Her gardens were amazing and her backyard is cliffs and rocks and desert land. Danny and his siblings talk about playing there while growing up and it was fun to see where their stories took place.

Playing in the dirt

Badminton

Succulents in the garden

Hiking in grandma Boyd's backyard at sunset

The big rock in front of grandma Boyd's house

On our way home we stopped in Moab and hiked delicate arch. It happened to also be free national parks day! James was exhausted and a bit out of control, so after about 1/4 mile hike I stopped, nursed him, and then continued the hike. He had been on Danny's back, but then I put him on my front and he did fine. I got a lot of comments about it! I'm glad we have good carriers for fun hikes though. It was tough hiking that with him (especially in the front), but it was gorgeous and raining and cool. Perfect perfect.

The fat finally fell asleep on me! He only got a 20-30 minute nap but it was better than nothing I suppose.

This was such a fun yet unfortunately short trip. I can't wait for Christmas to spend more time with the brown clan.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

My sweet sister asked James and I to go with her to her routine OB appointment on Friday. Once we went back, they took her blood pressure and it was fairly high. The nurse took us into an exam room and had her lie down in the dark. After a few minutes the OB came in and talked to us about preeclampsia. He said he wanted Haley to go straight to labor and delivery for some testing.

After the appointment, the nurse took her blood pressure again-it was 175/125! Not good at all. We headed to L&D.

They were ready for her once we got there. They took us back into a room and had her change into a lovely gown. Her blood pressure continued to be high, though not as high as before we left the OBGYN.

Haley asked how long we'd be there and they said awhile. After some tests came back, the doctor came and visited with us. Basically he said that she has preeclampsia and they would need to deliver the baby within a couple days. She is only 26 weeks along. They did an ultrasound on the babe and he looks awesome. A little low fluid but growth is perfect.

As of tonight, her preeclampsia is mild! Her blood pressure has stayed down without medication and there is only minimal protein spilling from her kidneys.

We are so, so grateful for the prayers everyone has offered on her behalf. Thank you! We hope the little man can continue cooking for several more weeks at least.

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Happy Father's Day to my Danny! It's been a fun 15.5 months since we became parents.

We love you Danny!

Danny asked for his mom's Texas fudge cake for dessert. Full of refined sugar and margarine, it is delicious. Like I said, switching to whole foods is a process. And I don't want a life without treats now and then, that's for sure! Recipe found here

Friday, May 24, 2013

Danny's dad's twin brother died last week. The funeral was in Gilbert, AZ and we weren't planning on going. On Friday morning Amber, Danny, Derek, my Danny, James and I decided we'd go down. We secured a rental van (thank you car dealership family hookups) and finally left Utah at 10pm.

I should have drugged James (judge away!) but I didn't. He slept terribly-max 7 hours with wake ups every 1-2 hours. We stopped once on the way down and pulled into the hotel at 7am. Mama and Papa Brown were at the curb waiting for us (Duaine may have called us every few hours to see how close we were) and it was so nice to see them!

Mister was grumpy the whole time but did give off a few smiles here and there. He was nice and noisy during the funeral service so we had to hang out in the hall/go to Sonic for a caffeine fix.

I'm so glad we could see them. They haven't seen James in person since Thanksgiving and he wasn't even crawling yet!

We enjoyed the things the south (does AZ count as the south??) has to offer: warmth, Bluebell ice cream, Quiktrip, and friendly people. We visited with Grandma Brown for a bit as well-James and I had never met her before. She is 96 or 97 and is sharp as a tack. She remembers minutiae about people she has never met! The sweet lady has outlived her husband and two children now. What a trooper.

On the way home we attempted to stop at the Grand Canyon but it would have added at least 2 hours to our trip and James was done! Too bad it wasn't over Memorial Day weekend or it would have been perfect.

I love my in laws. I know how much of a blessing that is too. James had fun with them and we'll probably see them again at the end of the summer.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

james took his first steps the week before he turned 1. now he can probably be categorized as a walker. he toddles all over and i love watching his chubby little bow legs go go go. he can even bend down, pick something up, and stand back up without falling.

danny taught him how to play basketball, and to call it "yesssss" since danny says "yesss" after making a basket. so every time james sees his basketball hoop or basketball he goes "esss". it's the cutest.

in other exciting news, mason jennings came to BYU and tickets were only $6 each. it was unbelievable. mason is danny's very favorite musician and he truly is so incredibly talented. danny and i both love music (though different types) yet aren't huge fans of concerts. i have asthma so hate breathing smoke and being around people drinking alcohol make us a bit uncomfortable. and sweaty mosh pits aren't my fave. but since this was at BYU there was no smoking or drinking, and while there were more people than we expected to see there, there was no rubbing shoulders or bellies with sweaty people. danny's brother got us pretty amazing spots right at the front. toward the end we were literally right next to the stage. mason was so perfect live. it was a once in a lifetime experience and i'm so, so grateful we could go.

Monday, March 11, 2013

we had james' 12 month well child check last week with our new doctor. we switched to a naturopath and it is a MUCH better fit for my philosophy and opinions. james is:

22 lbs

29.75 in

and his noggin is just under 50 cm

didn't get the percentiles but dr wright said he's still on his same curves. and his dang head is still off the charts. we passed on all 12 month vaccines. dr wright recommends to every mom that they become a 'doctor mom' in homeopathy, herbs, or essential oils. this is all new territory for me and i'm excited to learn more. there are pretty polarized opinions on those things, but i would love to have options to modern medicine. i'm all for pharmaceuticals when needed, yet i do think that God has provided us with natural methods for many things and i'd prefer to tap into those first.

the person that recommended dr wright to us said that he encourages long term breastfeeding. i LOVE that. there are so many misinformed doctors-one told a friend that breastmilk after 1 is like skim milk! that is so, so false. research shows “Human milk expressed by mothers who have been lactating for >1 year has significantly increased fat and energy contents, compared with milk expressed by women who have been lactating for shorter periods. During prolonged lactation, the fat energy contribution of breast milk to the infant diet might be significant.” I'm glad that our doctor is supportive. i really do think james's health is at least in part due to breastfeeding.

james asking "where is it?"

anyways, our little man is healthy and growing well. he has a handful of words, copies gestures, is taking several steps (he walked across the living room a few times yesterday!), and is so interactive. being his mommy becomes more and more fun.

Monday, March 4, 2013

well, it's official. we have a 1 year old. to celebrate, we had a fiesta with all of our family and some friends who live here! it was a blast. everything went perfect. james loved having so much attention on him. i'm so grateful everyone could come and celebrate with us. here are some pictures from the night.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

one of my biggest regrets is not doing newborns with the babe. instas and iphone photos just don't make the cut you know. alas i thought it was extravagant to get them done, plus i was a chub, so we didn't sadness. we are trying to make up for that with one year shots! my SIL, ambie, took these. i love them so so so so much. i feel like they capture my mister's essence right now. so, enjoy. amber's photo blog is photosbymasters.blogspot.com.